Area sports notes: Avery George tied for third in State Women's Open

Assorted Sports Equipment on Black
Assorted Sports Equipment on Black

Former Walker Valley High School and Middle Tennessee State golf standout Avery George matched Jessica Welch's zoom up the leaderboard Friday in the 2019 Tennessee Women's Open at Crossville. Each shot a 5-under-par 67 in the second round on the Stonehenge course to get to a tie for first for Welch at 142 and a three-way tie for third for George at 143. Morristown's Ashli Bunch shared the lead with two 71s, and first-day leader Melissa Siviter from Alpharetta, Georgia, and University of Tennessee senior Micheala Williams joined George a stroke back. George is a Mobile, Alabama, native and plays now out of Gulf Shores. Welch is from Thomasville, Georgia, and played for Jacksonville University. Another Lady Vol, Malia Stovall of Winchester, was in a three-way for 12th at 147 - behind Catherine Caudill and Josee Doyon at 144 and Hanley Long, Anna Long, Haylee Harford and Allie Knight at 146.

Baseball

» Outfielder Tyler Reichenborn from Tennessee Wesleyan's 2019 NAIA national champions signed a professional baseball contract this week with the St. Louis Cardinals. That free-agent deal came after he batted .319 with three home runs and 15 runs batted in during his 20 games in the independent Frontier League with the Florence (Kentucky) Freedom. The Minnesota native had been a 35th-round draft pick of the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2018 but decided to use his last year of college eligibility and came to TWU, where he started 64 games and was first-team all-conference and the league's newcomer of the year. He hit .360 with 14 home runs, three triples, 17 doubles and 52 RBIs. Reichenborn was all-tournament and the Gold Glove winner in the NAIA World Series.

Softball

» Northwest Whitfield High School sophomore and ProStar Fastpitch player Torrey Cummings committed this week to continue her softball career in 2022 at NCAA Division II power North Georgia. A 4.0 student who plays the corner infield positions and outfield, Cummings has "legitimate home run power and excellent baserunning speed," according to ProStar CEO Steve Chattin, who added, "She has gap-to-gap power and is a true home run threat. She is a leader and a positive influence at all times. As talented as she is now, I know that she understands this commitment is just the beginning and not the end of the process." Cummings was second-team all-region as a Northwest freshman.

» Cleveland State's Hailey Galvan also has committed to a Division II softball program, Lincoln Memorial, after leading the Lady Cougars in stolen bases the last two seasons and also in hits and batting average in 2019. "We are happy that Hailey Galvan will be attending LMU to complete her college degree while playing softball," said Cleveland State coach and former assistant Steve Jaecks. "She has a wealth of athletic ability and can be a major contributor."

Lacrosse

» Lee University in NCAA Division II and Sewanee in Division III were honored this week by the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association as Zag Sports academic honor squads. Lee's Rachel Duda, Abby Fortner and Kara Veldman and Sewanee's Anna Comer, Catherine Crigler, Grace Fulton, Bridget McConville, Mary Kate Myers, Annie Sherrill and Phoebe Stirm made the Zag Sports academic honor roll. That requires at least junior status and a 3.5 cumulative grade point average. The team honor requires an aggregate 3.0, and the Sewanee women have earned it nine times in the program's 12 years. The Tigers' GPA was 3.39, and Comer, Crigler, Fulton and McConville are two-time IWLCA honor roll members.

Tennis

» The DGCC Bulldogs from Dalton Golf & Country Club in Georgia won the Tennessee 18-under team tennis state championship last weekend in Murfreesboro. The Bulldogs coached by Garrick Sanford competed in the Junior Team Tennis Chattanooga district and won the 18-under regional before topping the across-the-border state tournament. They go next month to the Southern Sectional tournament. Members of the championship team are Brayden Conn, Tucker Daily, Tucker Hemphill, Rebecca Pitts, Zac Raughton, Jace Sanford, Callie Stanfield, Katie Rose Stanfield, Olivia Underwood and Jayda Wood.

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